Wedding & event vendors
Books and taxes for mobile petting zoos and pony ride companies.
Animal care that runs whether or not you are booked, USDA licensing, handler staffing that scales with event size, and summer heat that limits some afternoons. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
May came in at $4,200. The USDA license renewal landed this month, so I kept it apart from your regular vet and farrier costs.
- May 17 wedding reception bookingEvent booking fees
- Veterinary and farrier visitAnimal care
- USDA exhibitor license renewalLicensing
- Handler staffingStaffing
- Feed and bedding restockFarm and boarding costs
Why your books are different
A mobile petting zoo's books go wrong in the same handful of places.
A generalist sees booking fees and vet bills. Your business is animals that need care whether or not you are booked, a USDA license separate from routine vet visits, and staffing that scales with the size of the event. When the books do not know that, the number they hand you is wrong.
-
1
Animal care looks like a routine supply cost
Feed, veterinary visits, and routine care for goats, ponies, and rabbits are ongoing costs of keeping animals healthy, and buried in general expenses, you cannot tell what it actually costs to keep your animals ready for bookings.
What we doKeeps animal care in its own line, apart from general supplies. -
2
USDA licensing and vet bills get confused
Exhibiting animals commercially often requires a USDA license separate from routine veterinary care, and if the two get lumped together, you cannot tell what compliance costs versus what basic animal care costs.
What we doKeeps licensing fees apart from veterinary and farrier visits. -
3
Farm overhead runs even when you are not booked
Animals need feed, shelter, and care whether or not you have an event this weekend, and if those costs get charged against a single booking, that booking looks far less profitable than it was.
What we doKeeps farm and boarding costs in their own steady line, separate from any one event. -
4
Handler staffing looks like a fixed cost
Bigger events need more handlers to keep both animals and guests safe, and if that pay is treated like steady payroll, you cannot tell what labor actually costs against what a booking billed.
What we doTies handler pay to the specific event it supported. -
5
Weather limits get missed in the pricing
Extreme heat can mean animals cannot work certain summer afternoons, and if that lost capacity is not accounted for, a slow summer month can look like a mystery instead of an expected seasonal pattern.
What we doShows the year's trend alongside the month, so weather-driven slow stretches read as expected.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a mobile petting zoo business.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Event booking feesThe base charge for a wedding or event booking.
- Booking depositsHeld when a client books, often months out.
- Extended time add-onsExtra charged for a longer booking window.
- Photo session bookingsClients booking the animals just for photos.
- Multi-animal package upgradesLarger packages with more animals or a pony ride add-on.
Money out
- Animal careFeed, veterinary visits, and farrier work.
- LicensingUSDA exhibitor license and related registrations.
- Handler staffingPay tied to the size of each booking.
- Farm and boarding costsShelter and upkeep, running whether or not you are booked.
- TransportThe trailer and vehicle that move animals to events.
- InsuranceLiability coverage for animal-related risk.
- MarketingWebsite and bridal show costs.
What we watch for you
- Animal care cost per booking
What care actually costs against what each event brings in.
- Farm overhead against bookings
How much it costs to keep animals ready whether or not you are booked.
- Cost per event
Handler staffing against what each booking actually billed.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things mobile petting zoo owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
No, I keep licensing apart from veterinary and farrier visits, so you can see what compliance costs versus basic animal care.
No, I keep farm and boarding costs in their own steady line, separate from any one event, so a quiet weekend does not look like a loss.
Tied to that specific event, so you can see if the staffing cost was actually worth what the booking paid.
The tax side
The tax side of a mobile petting zoo business.
Most of what goes wrong here is mixing licensing with routine animal care, and farm costs that run whether or not you are booked.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Animal care as an ordinary costFeed, veterinary care, and farrier work are usually ordinary deductible business costs when the animals work in the business. Gus keeps them tracked apart from licensing.
- Contractor 1099sHandlers not on payroll get a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31. Gus keeps that list running.
- Transport vehicles and trailersTrailers and vehicles used to transport animals to bookings can usually be written off in the year purchased. The accountant decides how much to take now.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions mobile petting zoos and pony ride companies miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Animal feed and supplements
- Veterinary and farrier visits
- USDA licensing fees
- Handler wages
- Transport trailer maintenance
- Liability insurance
- Farm and boarding costs
- Website and booking fees
- Bridal show booth fees
- Business cards and branding
- Card processing fees
- Fencing and enclosure supplies
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A mobile petting zoo's year, kept every month.
Spring and fall bring the most bookings, and summer heat can slow things down. Gus keeps the return on its own schedule. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for handlers is ready, and a monthly set-aside is planned before booking season floods your calendar.
- April
Filed and signed
Your return is filed and signed right as spring bookings ramp up, so tax season never competes with your busiest weekends.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand midyear, what you will owe, and whether summer heat is slowing bookings the way it usually does.
- October
Before the last fall bookings
The busiest fall dates are still ahead. Gus looks at what is worth buying before December and what the winter boarding months need to cover.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for mobile petting zoos and pony ride companies. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions mobile petting zoo owners ask first.
Are USDA licensing and vet bills the same cost?
No. They are kept apart, so you can see what compliance costs versus basic animal care.
Does farm overhead count against a specific booking?
No. It stays in its own steady line, since animals need care whether or not you are booked that weekend.
How is handler pay tracked for bigger events?
Each event's handler pay is tied to that booking, so you can see if the staffing cost was worth what the event paid.
Does summer heat affect the books?
Gus shows the year's trend alongside the month, so a slow stretch from weather reads as expected instead of a mystery.
My books are behind from a busy season. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send what you have and Gus sorts it. Most owners know where they stand within a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever